KarenS

Boiling and simmering are two different things. I think that it is important to use the correct terminology- there is a difference of about 70 degrees, if you are learning to make stock that would make a huge difference.

Fat holds flavor better then water. You will be wasting vegetables as you will be needing much more. It is much more economical (and not as wasteful) to combine your vegetables with your bones.

It is about passion, creativity, pleasing people. My parents were scientists (yes, it is about science too). It is very physical (and yes, you should be able to carry 50#). It is not about money or glamour and you HAVE to love it or you will not last.

Deep fried wings have 22 grams of fat per wing.

You don't "boil stock". You bring it to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer. Boiling will make it cloudy and bitter; the fat and impurities will circulate throug the stock. If you simmer - you can skim the scum off, and the excess fat will rise to the surface when cool. You cook mirepoix with the bones/ meat so that the fat holds on to the flavor of the vegetables and aromatics. Fat holds and carries flavors.

I love calamari. The rule that I learned was "less then three minutes or more than 20 minutes". That is why many places fry it; it is very fast and you can produce many orders that way. I like it best grilled too- many places have limited grill space that is devoted to a lot of different items.

I believe that you need to hire a professional. You really do get what you pay for. If this is your reputation on the line- why on earth would you hire a student or home baker. Professional baking is very different. The difference is that you can not tolerate waste or inferior product. That is where a professional comes in- a person that can look ahead, and know how to use leftover cookies, overbaked cakes and not waste money. What everyone else said about training, labeling, and recipes is very true. You as a boss must give your employee a clear road map and the "tools" to do the job. To be honest with you, I get a little irritated with questions like yours (though I will happily answer them). Pastry and baking are skilled arts. They need to be treated with respect. Home baking is not the same thing as professional production baking. I have 20 years of professional experience; I have students work with me- I would never expect them to do the production, they don't have the finesse or training. You said that you worked in a law firm- would they let a law student go to court and try a case?

I always add orange juice and lime zest to my lemon curd. The orange juice softens the lemon and the lime zest adds a nice perk in taste. I add butter by beur mixing it in after the curd has cooled a bit (this is something I learned from reading Pierre Herme). The temp of the butter does make a difference in terms of color and silkiness. I make this in a stainless bowl over a water bath. 16 whole eggs 16 yolks 4c sugar 2 1/2c lemon juice 1/2c orange juice zest od 2 limes Cook eggs, sugar, and juices over a water bath, whisking occasionally until very thick. Strain through a chinois into a non metal container and cool to about 100F. Beur mix in the cold cubed butter, then stir in the lime zest. Chill with plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. This is a variation of what I learned at Spago in the pre Sherry Yard days. It was in 1986 and Nancy Silverton was still there.

I also only like mint as garnish if it is part of the dessert- and then I would be more inclined to use a chiffonade, so that I wasn't a big leaf. I am of the school that garnishes that are on the plate are meant to be eaten. I remember in particular being served once pumpkin creme brulee in a (raw) mini pumpkin. On the plate was a cinnamon stick and a few cloves (uhm..., no thank's). Fried sage leaves (salted) are really good!

Rhubarb, brown sugar, salt, and tapioca starch (to me, better color and less "goo")

Peel apples. Cut them all in half. For me it is then three scoops, center, end, end. You can get very fast at this!

Jeniac, My method for coring apples is to use a melon baller (Parisian scoop). Get a good one though (I've had mine for ten years). The cheap ones will just break. I am not fond of those apple peeling gadgets. I just use my peeler. I peel over a sheetpan and drop the apples into a bucket on the floor.

I never have a problem getting chocolate off my jackets. I use Tide with bleach- it really is the best. I take my jackets home to wash- the commercial laundry uses stuff that irritates my skin. I do also always use a cloth bib apron. I retire my jackets after I can't get the black grease marks off my right shoulder (from carrying sheet pans). It takes time to learn how to multi task in baking; eventually you will be able to have sugar cooking, chocolate melting, whites whipping, fruit cooking, and tuiles baking- while you are making scones and separating eggs! When you are only doing one thing at a time- well, of course you end up racing around. My new cook was given the letters "PMS" (easy to remember). It stands for PANS mis en place start It was driving me crazy to see her put things in the mixer before she had all of her ingredients together- then leave cake batter sitting while she went to get her pans! Working with others helps teach this "hey I need the mixer- are you almost finished?"

I use coffee filters with beans and rice. You can reuse them many times.

I wrap in cheesecloth.

Why don't you post this question on the Hawaii thread? The hole that you dig in the ground is called an imu. I have seen pigs wrapped in banana leaves and burlap. Some people then wrap the pig in chicken wire- for easier removal from the imu. I also really enjoy turkey that is done this way. The pork is then removed from the bones and shredded.

I freeze candied nuts. You could always use dririte (granulars that work similar to silica). In Hawaii I use dririte much, for cookies, tuiles, sugar, etc...

I have a savarin on my menu right now. I serve it warm on a ring of caramelised pineapple, with whipped cream, dried cherry compote, pineapple caramel, and creme anglaise- with toasted coconut. I use brioche dough (which is very similar), and add currants to the dough. My soaking liquid is similar to Steve's- I have star anise too. I was thinking "pineapple upside down cake". You can make any bread dough by hand- it is just much more work. Get a Kitchenaid! They are very useful tools.

Paste, play dough, cat food, snail bait (this one only once, as I was rushed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped). I loved liverwurst until my sister told me that it was made from liver...

My produce purveyor had a big stack of the boxes, she said,"smell these". To me, they smell like Welchs grape juice. Why make an apple taste like a grape? Eat an apple or eat a grape! I was wondering if it was a way to market really bad apples.

I can relate to working in heat and humidity (I'm in Hawaii). 102 is not something we experience very often though! I use pretty much always FMBC (sometimes I add gelatin to it). I'm with Neil on the meringue helps "hold" the butter. I too have to deliver cakes in heat and humidity (i pre chill my car). I remember this winter at the Hale Koa (the military hotel). Security there is very strict now. They open all doors of your car- plus the hood and the trunk, then they look under your car. Meanwhile, chilled air is gone! That was very soft buttercream by the time the wedding cake was set up- but the meringue did hold it.

I've made this cake many times. I like to add caramelised pear or apple with dried tart cherries. Heating activates the soda.

I see screaming children much more often now then five or ten years ago. There is no discipline. That only happens at 5, when they enter school- which crates a really lovely child, ready to interact with society NOT. No discipline, no book reading, no activities, and no caring by the parents -you don't have to have children.

The best advice I can give you about boning- keep your knife in contact with the bone (so that knife and bone are one). Keep your knife very sharp and do not saw or slice- just bring your knife stright down. Butchering (like anything) takes time to learn. You need to work with someone who breaks down a lot of fish- it really is a "hands on" thing.

Copper bowls are great! I do remember the call from my brother- he had purchased the kitchenaid copper bowl after seeing mine ( mine was a gift). He said that he was "purchasing the freshest eggs", and that he could see no difference. I told him- you don't need fresh egg white for meringue, older is better. The week old white is more relaxed and enabled to encompass more air (my brother is becoming a pro). I looked at this man that could not barbque chicken in another life- to a man that told me that his stock is never cloudy since I told him to skim it and not to boil it. (it shocks the hell out of me!). The last time I looked he only ate baloney; Iwent to visit and he went diving for ( and prepped), abalone during a north coast storm. I love my brother.